Sample-display case.



PATEN'I'ED JAN. 16, 1906.

G. P. BIGGS.

SAMPLE DISPLAY CASE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11. 1905.

lnvanllor e F.B:gg s MM BY ATTYS.

Georg PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. BIGGS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAMPLE-DISPLAY CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed September 11, 1905. Serial No. 278,042.

To all whom, it may concern:

, Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BIGGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sample-Dis lay Cases, of which the following is a full, c ear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming.

part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a sample-display case constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the frame, the compartmental bottoms to the trays being removed; and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

This invention relates to sample-display cases, and particularly to a sample-case for shoes and like articles.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a case or trunk having a plurality of compartmental trays connected together and arranged one above the other in such manner that access may be had to any intermediate tray without disclosing the contents of the remaining trays.

. Another object is to provide means whereby the contents of all of the trays may be accessible at one time.

A still further object is to provide means of confining a number of trays in a comparatively small space and to provide means whereby the trays may be transported without liability of their contents being displaced.

Other objects and advantages, as well as the novel details of construction of this invention, will be referred to more particularly hereinafter, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, and details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

As illustrated in the drawings, the case consists of a relatively Wide bottom tray 1, having a pair of series of trays connected to the ends and supported on the upper edge of said tray 1. The bottom tray in each series extends from one side of the tray 1 to a point approximately in the longitudinal center of the tray 1, so that when the trays are in their retracted positions complementary trays in opposite series are adjacent to each other, as shown in Fig. 1. The respective individual trays are designated by the referencenumeral 2, and each succeedin tray in each series is connected to the one a ove or below it by links 3 and 4, respectively. These links are supported on pivots 5, which pivots extend through the ends of the tray and through an approximately U-shaped reinforcement 6 of less depth than the depth of the tray, said reinforcement extending entirely across the end of its tray and having its side members connected to the sides of the tray to which it is secured. Each reinforcement 6 is composed of suitable metal, so that the trays are reinforced at their ends and at the same time form secure anchorages for the pivot 5. This pivot 5 is illustrated as having a head 7 on one end overlapping the pivot-opening in one of the links. A shoulder 8 is also formed on the pivot, which abuts against the outer wall of the end of the tray, the constricted portion 9 of said pivot extending entirely through the end Wall and having a shoulder 10, which abuts against the outer wall of the connectingbar 1 1 of the reinforcement 6. The inner end of the pivot is provided with a head 12, which laps the edge of the pivot-opening in the reinforcement 6, said head 12 being preferably formed on the end of the pivot after it is in place; but said head may consist of a nut threaded on the end of the pivot if such a construction is desired.

One of the advanta es of having the reinforcement 6 at the end of the tray of less depth than the height of the tray is that a portion of the wooden end of the tray will be exposed for attachment of the compartmental bottom 13. (Illustrated in section in Fig. 3.) This bottom is usually glued or tacked to the wooden end, and it preferably consists of some corrugated material to form compartments 14. to receive the shoes or like articles.

To the bottom of the bottom tray 1 are attached hinges carrying the covers 16 and 17, so that when the trays are retracted the covers may be closed over them, so that by providing a suitable lock to secure the covers 16 and '17 together the case may be transported from place to place.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by-Letters Patent, is

1. A sample-case comprising a plurality of trays, metal reinforcements on the inside of the tray ends and extending across the end ments, and links connected to said pivots substantially as described.

3. sample-case comprising a plurality of trays having reinforcements on the inner ends of less depth than the heights of the trays, bottoms for the trays secured to the ends thereof, and not to the reinforcements, pivots carried by the reinforcements and proj ecting through the tray ends, and links connected to the pivots fsiibstantially as described.

4. A sample-case comprising a bottom tray 1, a plurality of trays carried thereby, links 3 and 4 for connecting said trays one to the other, pivots 5 projectingthrough said links and through the tray ends, a reinforcement on the inside of each tray end and engaged by said pivots, and covers hinged to the tray 1 for inclosing said remaining trays; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses, this 7th day of September, 1905.

' GEORGE F. BIGGS.

Witnesses:

J. M. TYLER, GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

